In the House of the Rising Sun
by LoveIsAllSheWrote
Summary: Random Klayley one shots, mostly surrounding Hayley's pregnancy. They are not necessarily connected, and they don't go in order, out of character mostly, extremely fluffy… I have been publishing these on tumblr so they're nothing new.
1. Something Good Can Work

The sun was rising over the compound in New Orleans, casting golden rays of light through the windows. Hayley had just woken up and was walking into the kitchen to get breakfast.

Klaus saw Hayley going for the kitchen, her first stop every morning, and followed her in, "Good morning little wolf."

"Morning" she dryly replied back as she poured herself a glass of milk.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Fine."

"Listen, when you're done with breakfast I want to show you something."

"Ugh, what is it? Do you have to? Don't you have people to torture?" Hayley was tired of being around Klaus and she wanted nothing more than to eat her breakfast in peace and avoid him for the rest of the day.

The hybrid was a little disappointed by her response but he was confident that she would love what he was going to show her. "It's a surprise, and one that I think you'll like."

Hayley figured it would be easier to just get this over with so she could go on with her day. She quickly gulped down her milk, "OK let's go."

Klaus took her upstairs and told her to close her eyes.

"What am I getting myself into…" Hayley was reluctant to be around him in general, let alone with her eyes closed but she followed is instructions anyways.

"You'll see," he replied as he led her down the hall and through a doorway.

"Ok, open" he said with uncharacteristic, genuine enthusiasm.

Hayley opened her eyes to a beautiful nursery and her jaw dropped. The walls were painted a pale shade of pink and a mahogany crib was set up against the wall. There were various stuffed animals on a book self, along with a few children's books, on a rocking chair, and a particularly large teddy bear in the crib. There were also toys everywhere and a few paintings on the wall; Hayley was speechless.

"I finished it late last night, and I've been waiting to show you, what do think?

"It's amazing!" Hayley was still in utter shock, "What made you do this?!" Hayley figured she would have ask someone else to do this for her, she never expected Klaus to do it of his own free will.

"Well our daughter will have to sleep somewhere" he stated matter-of-factly, "besides, Rebekah sort of inspired me, she the left the teddy that's in the crib, along with this note." He handed Hayley small card:

_Hayley,_

_I'm sorry I can't be around, but I do intend to spoil my little niece regardless; I hope she likes teddies._

_-Rebekah _

"Well she isn't even born yet, and she's already spoiled rotten," she chuckled, "I love it Klaus, I really do, thank you," she said as she ran her fingers over the edge of the crib.

"I'm glad you like it," he smiled back, "well I have business in the quarter to attend to, I see you tonight little wolf." He quietly exited the room while Hayley stayed and looked through all the things Klaus had gotten their daughter.

"You don't even realize how lucky you are," she whispered to her daughter. Hayley had been certain that Klaus was going to be a terrible father, but maybe, just maybe, they could make this work.


	2. A Moment of Vulnerability

It was nearly 3 pm and Hayley still hadn't gotten out of bed. Klaus was a little concerned by this but Hayley was eight and half months along and knew she needed the extra rest. The child consumed most of her energy and, according to Hayley, never seemed to stop moving.

Klaus passed by Hayley's door and saw that she was still fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he gently pushed Hayley's door open a little more and listened to his daughter's heartbeat for a moment and then went to continue on down the corridor.

"Klaus"

Klaus turned back to look at Hayley, "sorry, Little Wolf, I didn't mean to wake you, just checking to see that you're OK."

"You didn't wake me up, she did, and I'm perfectly OK" Hayley softly replied, as she sat up and leaned against her mountain of pillows.

The hybrid's gaze shifted from her eyes to her swollen stomach and he walked further into her room.

Hayley got out of bed and approached Klaus, "Do you want to feel her move?"

Despite the fact that he and Hayley had been sharing a home for about eight months he had never felt the child kick. Of course he wanted to, but in his mind it was not his place to ask Hayley such a thing. Hayley had never been particularly friendly to him, and he didn't know why she was willing to offer now; he was surprised by her invitation and he didn't know how to respond, he especially did not want to come off as eager. "Uh-" before he could really answer Hayley grabbed his hand and pressed it to her stomach, close to her ribcage.

There was no movement, and Klaus felt disappointed, not that he let that show to Hayley. She, however, was perfectly fine with expressing her discontent with her daughter's inactivity. "She was kicking like crazy five minutes ago, and now she's shy?"

Klaus started to pull his hand away, "It's fine-"

"No," Hayley still firmly pressed Klaus' hand to her side, "try talking to her, it normally works for me."

"Just say anything?"

"Anything."

"Well OK… um hi sweetheart…" Klaus clearly didn't know how to deal with this situation and his discomfort made Hayley smile. Seeing the evil Klaus Mikaelson in this predicament was priceless, but he started to get more confident. "You know your mum would have slept her entire day away if it weren't for you."

Hayley giggled "Well not the _entire _day…" There was still no movement and Hayley tried moving his around to get a reaction that way, but still nothing. "Keep talking."

"I know I haven't been around much lately, but just know that everything I've done in spite of that has been for you." He was rewarded by a strong kick on his palm, followed by another and another. A toothy grin spread across his face as well as Hayley's.

"See, all you had to do was dig a little deeper" Hayley smirked.

"Clearly, doesn't that hurt?"

"No, it can be a little annoying when I'm trying to sleep, but it's just nice to know that she is alive and safe." Hayley didn't want this moment to end, it was best, and the only, bonding moment they shared.

The baby started to settle down once again and Klaus reverted his attention back to her, "I love you more than anything in the world," he whispered to his daughter and he leaned down and kissed Hayley's belly. "Sorry" he instantly pulled away from Hayley, clearly feeling like he overstepped some boundaries, "-and thank you."

"You don't have to apologize, you are her father, you're allowed to be close to her…" But Klaus had fled the room before Hayley could even finish the sentence, she sighed, Klaus was being positive and friendly, something she knew wouldn't last long. The moment had gone as quickly as it had come, but it wouldn't be forgotten. Hayley knew that Klaus was probably out wreaking havoc, but in that moment, things seemed to be changing and some of the fear she about bringing a baby into this world slightly diminished.


	3. One Step Closer

Late one night, when Hayley was about six months pregnant, Klaus came into the compound covered in blood, drunk, and loosely holding on to bottle. Hayley sat by herself in the living room eating chocolate ice cream and watching a cheesy horror movie. Tonight wasn't much different than most other nights, and normally Hayley knew better than to stick around. She would go to her room, shut the door, and wouldn't come out till morning; it was just better that way. However, tonight was different, she was tired of Klaus acting this way with no repercussions. Normally what Klaus did with life wasn't any of Hayley's concern, but it finally hit her that this man would be a father in a matter of months, and she would hate to have her daughter grow up in this environment.

Hayley put her ice cream down and stood to face the hybrid. "Why do you think it's okay to always come home like this?" she questioned him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, love."

"You're always drinking or drunk, or having sex with that redheaded witch!"

"Watch your tone, little wolf, what I do with my day is none of business." Klaus' voice started to rise. "I have provided everything that you need and more, and you're going to pester me about who I spend my time with and how I spend it?"

"You know, up to this point I have ignored all of your ridiculous behavior, but I can't anymore!" Hayley was getting stressed out, which she knew wasn't good for the baby, she sighed, and spoke much softer this time, "I just wish you could realize that you have other responsibilities."

This silenced him for a moment, before he was enraged again, "enough, Hayley, enough!," he yelled at her and threw the bottle he was holding at the wall behind her.

Hayley flinched and decided it would be better to leave before she got hurt. She quickly turned and started leaving.

"Where do you think your going?" Klaus spat at her as he grabbed her wrist.

Hayley tried to pull her hand away, but he had a strong grasp, "stop being such an asshole and let me go!" Then she slapped him across face with her free hand and he let her. She didn't waste another minute and stormed out of the room, not saying another word. Obviously, trying to get through to him had been a waste of time.

Klaus stood in the middle of the room in shock. No one who wanted to see the light of another day would talk to him the way Hayley had, let alone strike him. Lucky for her, she was carrying his child. However, he did admire that she had the nerve to stand up to him, when she knew he had the ability to rip her heart out in a half a second.

He started to think about how ignorant and stupid he had been. Had things gotten more escalated Hayley could have gotten hurt. What if had thrown that bottle at Hayley? He would never forgive himself if she or the child were hurt. Even though he hadn't hurt her physically, Hayley was yelling and became very stressed out. That was his fault, and he knew it wasn't good for the baby. He desperately wanted to check on her and make amends, but after what he had just done he knew Hayley wouldn't allow him to get close to her. Instead he went to his study, drank more bourbon, and brooded.

The next day Hayley was sitting in the living room like always, Klaus came in surprisingly clean and sober, this time carrying a large box. She got up to leave, not wanting to see him for a while, at least.

"Hayley, wait, please." Hayley paused and turned back towards him, rolling her eyes, and folding her arms over her chest. "Look, I can't stop thinking about last night and I –uh, well, I got you something." He shyly set the box down next to Hayley.

Hayley looked at him in disgust, he was insane if he thought he could buy her forgiveness. "Whatever it is I don't want it-"

There was some whimpering and shuffling that started to come from within the box that immediately got Hayley's attention. She kneeled down and eagerly opened the box to small black and tan German Shepherd puppy with a big red bow around its neck looking up at her. Hayley's demeanor immediately changed; her eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across her face.

"Consider her an apology for last night, and an early birthday present for the little one." Klaus was relieved at Hayley's reaction, and even though he knew it wouldn't entirely fix what happened, at least it made Hayley happy.

Hayley lifted the puppy out of the box, planted a kiss between her floppy ears, and stood back up with Klaus' help. Hayley had always wanted a dog when she was growing up but her adoptive parents would never allow her one. She wasn't sure if it was those desires resurfacing or her maternal instincts kicking in, where she just wanted to nurture something, maybe it was both, but in any case this puppy was the cutest Hayley had ever seen, and she gave it a strong squeeze. She knew she shouldn't forgive Klaus so easily but her hormones were going insane and she couldn't resist that face.

The puppy was just happy to be out of the box, eager for human contact; she nuzzled Hayley's hand and wagged her tail excitedly. She was soft as velvet and had the most adorably pudgy face. Even though she had just met Hayley, she was very friendly, and full of energy; the puppy started to squirm, wanting to check out her new surrounding, and Hayley set her down on the couch.

"So do you like her?" Klaus questioned.

"I love her!" she excitedly chimed, as she gave Klaus a hug, "thank you."

"Well I feel bad that you're here by yourself so much, especially now with Rebekah gone." Klaus was feeling quite proud of himself, he hoped Hayley would be this excited, but he wasn't at all expecting a hug. He didn't know what he would have done had Hayley not wanted her. "And I figured she would be good practice before the baby comes."

All the while the puppy explored the living room, before she returned to Hayley, looking up at her with big brown eyes, asking to be picked up again; Hayley obliged. "I guess she will be good practice, won't she?"

The puppy whimpered and licked Hayley's face. "Well now we've got to come up with a name for you too, baby." She addressed the puppy. "What do you think?" she questioned Klaus.

"It's entirely up to you, Little Wolf."

"Hmmm… I'm going to think about it for a few days, in the meantime I'm going to show her where she will be sleeping." Hayley began carrying the tiny puppy to her room. She stopped at the door and turned back toward Klaus. "Thanks again, I know this sort of stuff doesn't mean a lot to you but it means a lot to me, and I really appreciate it," she said sincerely before exiting.

Elijah had been in the next room over and overheard everything. He went into the room with Klaus after Hayley left.

"Was a puppy really necessary? Would flowers not suffice?

"Yes well I'm trying to get on Hayley's good side so she'll allow me to be around when the baby is born, and something tells me it takes a little more than flowers to impress her."

"That was surprisingly uncharacteristic of you, brother, but I'm impressed, though I don't how I will take to a puppy terrorizing the house."

"It can't be any worse than what's to come," he smirked back at his brother, "but I would keep your fancy shoes hidden." And with that he exited the room leaving Elijah by himself.

"There might be hope for you yet, Niklaus." Elijah muttered under his breath before picking up his shoes off the mat.


	4. I Guess This Is It

With one hand on her bump and the other supporting her lower back, Hayley waddled down the corridor, on her way back to her room after a snack. She was due to go into labor any day now and everyone in the compound was anxious, none more than Klaus. He was beside himself with worry. He was constantly worried with Hayley's well being, and he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that in matter of days he was going to be a father.

Hayley had already had a few false labor starts. The first time she was with Klaus in the bayou, visiting her family after she moved back in with Klaus. She felt a contraction and panicked, the look on Klaus' face was priceless. He had to carry her all the way back out to the main road where the car was parked to take her to the hospital. The doctor told them it was just the Braxton Hicks, and it probably wouldn't be the first time it would happen to her, it wasn't. Still, Klaus made it clear he wasn't going to allow Hayley any more trips to the bayou until after the baby was born. She didn't argue mostly because it was a waste of time, but she was also tired constantly now and the baby would be there soon anyway.

Now, Hayley was making her way back to her bedroom. As she was approaching the stairs she felt Klaus' presence close by. "You're hovering again. I told you I was fine." Hayley was getting annoyed with Klaus constantly being at her side, he'd been like this for nearly a month now. She knew he just wanted everything to go well in the last few weeks, but she was irritable and desperately wanted some space. This wasn't the first time she asked him to leave her alone, and she knew it wouldn't be the last either.

Who knew a task as simple as climbing the stairs could be so gut wrenching to watch? Hayley in general made Klaus nervous at this stage in her pregnancy, but watching her climb the stairs was the worst, especially since she wouldn't let anyone help her, not even Elijah. "I know love, but can you blame me for being worried?" He stood by at the base of the steps.

She just sighed and lethargically ascended the stairs. She nearly made it to the top of the stairs before her foot caught on a step and she started to fall. Klaus raced to the top of the stairs and caught her in an instant.

"See, it's a good thing I was hovering." Hayley didn't have the energy to respond, she just tightly gripped his arm as she tried to steady herself and catch her breath. Instead of waiting for her to trip again he scooped her up bridal style and carried her the rest of the way to her room and gently laid her in bed.

"Are you confortable?"

She just gave him the look that he had come to learn meant 'Of course I'm not confortable, am I ever?'

He rolled his eyes in frustration at her obvious discontent with him around. "Okay, well if you need anything let me know."

"Okay," she said as she turned on her side, away from him. He shut the door and left Hayley to try the few different position she could manage in an attempt to get confortable, something she knew wasn't going to happen, but she tried very night anyway. After a little while she fell asleep while laying on her right side.

A searing pain shooting through her stomach woke her up in the middle of the night. She looked over at her clock. _3:04. Great_. She got up to get a glass a glass of water in hopes that it would help. When she stood she felt a liquid trickling down her leg and looked down to see it pooling at her feet.

"Klaaauuusss!"

He rushed to her room and opened the door to a wide-eyed and terrified Hayley.

"What's the matter?" He didn't need an answer, he looked down at the mess and the terrified look crossed his features as well. "Oh, right, okay so this it… Sit back down and try to relax." He tried to keep his voice steady and confident, but it wavered. He didn't want his nervousness to make Hayley panic anymore than she already was, but he was failing and didn't have a clue what to do.

"I'm not ready to do this yet," she whimpered in response.

"Apparently she's ready, so I don't think you have much of a choice."


	5. Just Ask

Klaus walked into the kitchen, going to the fridge to get a blood bag. Before he opened the door he noticed a sonogram photo hung by a magnet. Hayley must of put it there after her appointment that day. Klaus wanted to go with her more than anything, but she didn't invite him and he didn't have the nerve to ask.

He stared at the picture in awe, this was the first time he had actually seen her. Of course she was growing everyday and Hayley's belly was hard to miss, but this was the first time he could actually see her little body. It was actually kind of a mess, but it was his daughter and she was beautiful to him, even if he couldn't make most of it out.

He ran his thumb over the picture and tears started to well up in his eyes, which he quickly wiped away in case someone else came into the kitchen. He shoved the picture into his pocket, wanting to keep her all to himself. He decided he would put the photo somewhere safe, and for his eyes only.

Hayley went into the kitchen later to get a glass of milk and noticed the picture had been removed from the fridge. She knew it was Klaus. They didn't talk much but when they did it usually involved an argument, why should this exchange be any different. She decided she would confront him. Hayley found him reading in his study and asked him what he did with the photo.

"Hayley, do you really think the vampire lackey around here want to see that?"

"I don't care, I'm proud of her and I want the picture on the fridge, you should be proud too."

"I can't have the other vampires see that and perceive me as a sentimental fool."

"How can you even say that Klaus? She's your daughter! … Now what did you do with the picture? I'm putting it back on the fridge."

He only offered her a small shrug as a reply, so smug about it.

Then she saw the corner of the sonogram poking out of the book he was reading. She snatched the book out of his hand and pulled out the picture.

"You don't know, huh?" She had him cornered and there was no way for him to back out now. He cared a lot more than he was letting on and that put a playful smile on Hayley's lips.

Klaus took the picture back out of Hayley's hand, "I'm saving it, it's comforting to look at, even if I can't tell what' what exactly…and it serves as a reminder that I need to stop screwing up so much."

This instantly made Hayley stop teasing. She quietly gave him a soft smile and sat down next to him. "If you wanted the picture all you had to do was ask… you didn't have to steal it." She looked into his eyes before quickly looking down at the picture again. "I Know she kind of looks like alien right now, but she's still developing… the nurse said that's her nose… and there's her arm," Hayley said as she pointed to different parts of the picture.

This made Klaus smile; now he could make out some parts of the picture, but it still mostly looked like a mess. "Here," he started handing her back the photo, "you can put it back on the fridge if that's what you want."

"No, its okay, you keep it, the nurse gave me extras. I just wanted to give you a hard time," Hayley smirked at him… "You know if you want to you can come to my next appointment. I would have asked you to go last time but I didn't think you were interested in that sort of thing."

"I'll be there little wolf," he smiled back at her as he tucked the photo back into his book.


End file.
